Damien walked out of the room with long strides, and Ingrid had to move quickly to keep up. Making their way through the office, she couldn't help but notice the difference walking at Damien's side. Rather than the employees zipping around her as though she were no one at all, each employee stopped and gave Damien a respectful acknowledgment. It was clear he was a very, very important person around here.
The two of them arrived at a private elevator and, after a brief trip up, they stepped out onto the roof of the office tower. The city was spread all around Ingrid, and her heart skipped at the amazing view of the city. And just ahead was a helicopter, the blades beating loudly.
"We're taking that?" asked Ingrid.
"Yes," said Damien. "To the airport, at least."
Holy shit, thought Ingrid. This is amazing!
The two of them climbed into the helicopter and were soon airborne. Ingrid's face was nearly pressed against the glass of the craft as they soared over the city toward Newark Airport. Once they landed, she was even more surprised to see that a sleek private jet with a red carpet leading to the stairs awaited them. Ingrid couldn't believe she was already living a life she'd only dreamed of.
"That's for us?" she asked, pointing to the plane.
"Best way to get from New York to DC," said Damien, slipping off his sunglasses. "Come on."
Moments later, the two of them were on the plane, which was just as lovely inside as it was out.
"Take a seat, " said Damien. "We'll be off in a little bit."
Ingrid slid into one of the luxurious seats and buckled up. After about ten minutes, the plane was taxied, and soon after that, they took off. As she watched the city become smaller and smaller below, Ingrid shook her head at the strange situation she found herself in. The plane eventually leveled out, and Damien took off his seatbelt and stood up.
"I'll be on a private call in the back room," he said. "Feel free to have a drink or something to eat."
Once Damien was gone, Ingrid unbuckled her belt and let herself relax. She realized this had to be the strangest morning she'd ever had in her life.
After a moment or two, a pretty female employee entered the cabin from the front of the plane and asked Ingrid if she'd like anything.
"Sure," said Ingrid. "Whatever's good."
The employee smiled and left, returning about five minutes later with a delicious-looking breakfast of an omelet with toast and a mimosa.
I could get used to this, thought Ingrid as she took a bite of her food.
As she ate and drank, however, she began to hear something from the back of the plane, from the private room Damien had gone off to. At first, it sounded like a low, muffled sound, but the more she listened, the more she realized it was Damien.
And he sounded pissed.
Curious, Ingrid pushed aside her food and made her way with careful steps to the back of the plane. As she grew closer, she could make out, more clearly, Damien's voice.
"…fucking kidding me?" he said. "We've got two clients lined up, and you can't fucking coordinate with either of them? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Holy shit. He sounds pissed.
"This is your last fucking warning!" he continued. "I want everything with the Ingrid Fang pack sorted out by fucking tonight, or you're gonna be looking for a new job!"
Then a crash sounded out and the conversation ceased.
Ingrid's heart began to pound as she hurried back to her seat. The door opened moments later, and Ingrid did her best to look like she hadn't heard anything.
"Have I mentioned to you how much I despise incompetence," asked Damien as he slid coolly back into his seat. "Because I truly, truly do."
"Um, yes, you have," said Ingrid, picking at her food.
So, she thought, Paul wasn't joking around about my new boss' temper. I'm going to have to be careful about this…to say the least.
Damien busied himself with work on his laptop during the rest of the brief flight. While they traveled, Ingrid couldn't help but steal glances at Damien; he was so attractive that she just couldn't take her eyes off him. And he was older than she expected a man she found so attractive to be; he had to be in his late-thirties, at the youngest.
Wait a minute, she thought, what the hell was he talking about with the packs? Is that some kind of weird mercenary thing?
Something about all of this didn't seem right to her, as though she were being told only half the story about Damien and this new job. But she chalked this up to being paranoid, and put it out of her mind. After all, she'd soon be in her new home, meeting the girl for which she'd now be responsible.
After a half-hour or so, the plane began its descent. They touched down at Dulles Airport and were soon back on the runway. Ingrid couldn't believe that only a couple of hours ago she was in downtown New York, and now she was here in DC.
Rich people just live differently, she thought, following after Damien.
They made their way through the terminal and arrived at a sleek, silver Mercedes which awaited them out front. Damien opened the door for Ingrid, and they were soon inside and off.
"So," said Ingrid. "When do I meet Adeline?"
"You meet her as soon as we get home," said Damien. "I normally try to keep her busy during the day when she's not at school, but I figured you two having a little time to get to know each other would be good idea."
"I agree," said Ingrid, watching the city pass through the car windows. "Anything I should know about her?"
"Well," said Damien, "she's a little shy, but she should warm up to you in time. She loves cats, especially kittens, so don't be surprised when she talks your ear off about them. Other than that, she's a pretty standard kid, as far as I can tell."
"And, um, anything else about the job I should know?"
Ingrid wanted to make sure she wasn't going to do anything that might set off Damien's temper. She already got the impression that standard incompetence wasn't tolerated, but wanted to make sure there weren't any other details about the job she needed to know.
"Just don't make me tell you things twice," said Damien, his blue eyes sparkling as they caught the noonday sun streaming in through the car windows. "I expect professionalism and competence. The last girl I had on, for example, couldn't remember a damn appointment if her life depended on it. And even more galling, she didn't understand discretion."
"How do you mean?" asked Ingrid.
"That NDA wasn't just for show. And it doesn't just cover what I told you in the interview – everything you see or hear, within reason, about my job during your employ is to be kept in the strictest of confidence. And if you're unclear, just ask. Breaking the NDA is a fast way to make sure that you're unemployable as a nanny in any city."
Ingrid gulped.
"Noted," she said.
They soon arrived in the Georgetown area, and the car pulled to a stately, three-story white home with a large, green lawn and a circular driveway that curled up to a grand set of stairs that led to the front doors. It was one of the most gorgeous homes Ingrid had ever seen in her life.
"This is it?" asked Ingrid.
"This is it," said Damien.
The car pulled to a stop in front of the staircase and the two got out. Ingrid's eyes were fixed on the house as she went up the staircase; she couldn't believe what a beautiful home it was.
Damien opened the front door and the two of them entered. The interior was just as gorgeous as the outside – a spiral staircase that led up to the top two floors dominated the main entrance room, a beautiful living room appointed with antique furniture was to the right, and a modern kitchen was on the left. And at the dining room table in the kitchen was an adorable blonde-haired girl with a coloring book in front of her. The girl's eyes snapped to the two of them as they entered, and Ingrid saw that they were the same brilliant blue as her father's.
"There she is," said Damien, squatting down and extending his arms.
"Daddy!" shouted the girl as she ran up to him.
The two embraced for a moment and Ingrid stood by, feeling just a little awkward.
"Adey," said Damien, gesturing to Ingrid. "This is Ms. Ingrid Parker; she's going to be your new nanny."
"Hey!" said Ingrid, kneeling down and getting eye level with the girl. "Nice to meet you! You can call me Ms. Ingrid. What's your name?"
"Adeline," said the girl, her voice flat and her expression unsure.
"So nice to meet you, Adeline," said Ingrid. "I can't wait to get to know you!"
Adeline didn't seem to share the sentiment. Without waiting around, she bolted from the two of them and ran up the stairs. Ingrid felt ashamed right away, as though she'd just been given a test that she didn't pass.
"She'll warm up to you in time," said Damien. "We've just gone through a few nannies in the last year. I'm thinking she doesn't know who is safe to get close to."
No kidding, thought Ingrid. Why bother to get to know the nanny when they might be gone in a month?
But she put these thoughts aside and tried to focus on the job at hand. At that moment, a babysitter emerged from another room. Damien greeted her, gave her some cash, and sent her on her way.
"Here's the deal," said Damien, walking over to the counter and preparing a pot of coffee. "I've got work tonight, so you and Adeline will be alone this evening. I'll leave you my card, so you and she can do whatever you like. I might not be back until later, so you don't need to wait up."
"Sounds good," said Ingrid.
"Consider this a test run," he said. "I'm not expecting you to be besties with my daughter, but I'll expect a certain level of professionalism and skill this evening. You wouldn't be the first nanny I've sent back home after one night."
Ingrid gulped.
That's one way to make a girl feel welcome, she thought.
And in spite of herself, she couldn't help but feel more and more attracted to Damien the more of a domineering hardass he was toward her. She couldn't explain why.
And his incredible good looks certainly didn't hurt, she realized.
The coffee pot began to brew, and Damien stepped toward the entrance to the entry room.
"Come with me," he said. "I'll give you a tour of the rest of the house."
Ingrid followed Damien up the spiral stairs, and as she walked close to him she noticed something she hadn't before – there was a strange scent to Damien that trailed behind him, something almost like an animalistic musk. It was earthy and rich, and very, very masculine. She wanted to bottle the scent up and keep it with her wherever she went.
Easy, girl, she thought. Try and not go too crazy over the new boss; you've got enough to worry about.
"Second floor is here," said Damien, leading her down a cheery hallway lit with ample natural light. "Adeline's room is down that hallway, and your room is down this one."
Damien led Ingrid to a small but cozy bedroom decorated with the same gorgeous, antique furniture that adorned the rest of the house. The windows looked out onto the long stretch of green in the backyard, where Ingrid could spot a large rectangular pool.
"I hope this will be sufficient," said Damien.
"It's perfect," said Ingrid.
"Good," said Damien. "While you're out with Adeline tonight, feel free to pick up some clothes for yourself. If the next couple of days end up working out, then I'll have the rest of your things shipped here from your previous employer's place."
"I'll let you get settled in," he said. "I'll be taking off here in an hour or so."
He turned to leave but stopped himself as he left.
"And one more thing," he said. "The third floor is mine, and though you shouldn't need anything up there, it's not off-limits. Except for my office. It's the door down the right hallway. That room is strictly forbidden."
His tone was uncompromising, and it was clear he wasn't screwing around in the slightest.
Guess he’s the secretive type, thought Ingrid.
Once he said his piece, Damien left. Ingrid fell backward onto the bed, trying to let the events of this strange day settle over her. It was all so bizarre to her, but she resolved to do her best. She spent the next hour texting with the Abernathy girls, asking them how their new city was, and telling them vague details about her new job.
After a time, Ingrid got up and walked around the house, taking in the lovely décor of the place. Toward the end of the hallway opposite to her own, she spotted Adeline's bedroom opened a crack. She approached it, and gave it a gentle knock.
"Yes?" asked Adeline in a prim voice that almost made her seem older than her six years.
"It's Ms. Ingrid. Can I come in?"
A moment passed.
"Sure."
Ingrid stepped into the bright bedroom. The first thing she noticed was the walls covered in pictures of cats, both real cats and drawings. In the center of the room was Adeline, seated amongst her toys which where, of course, mostly cats.
Damn, thought Ingrid, Damien wasn't kidding about this girl and cats.
"What's up with you, little lady?" asked Ingrid.
"Not much," said Adeline, her eyes fixed on her toys. "Just playing."
"Can I play too?" Ingrid asked.
"Sure, I guess," said Adeline.
Ingrid plopped onto the ground with Adeline and picked up one of the cats.
"That's Apple," said Adeline, still not looking up. "She's friends with Grapefruit and Orange."
"Oh, cool," said Ingrid. "And what are their other names?"
"Um, that's Pizza, and that's Lasagna."
"Are…they all named the same way?" asked Ingrid.
"What do you mean?"
Weird kid, thought Ingrid. But pretty cute.
"So," said Ingrid, "you and I have the whole day to hang out. Anything you want to do?"
"Not really," said Adeline.
And a tough nut to crack, she thought.
Then, a thought occurred to Ingrid.
"How about this: you look like a big fan of cats, right?"
"Yeah…" said Adeline, seemingly a little skeptical.
"How about we go into town and play with some kittens? I think that sounds fun."
"Really?" asked Adeline.
"Really," said Ingrid. "Then we can go buy some clothes, and then we can get whatever you want for dinner. Maybe ice cream, afterward. How does that sound?"
"Okay!" said Adeline.
"Awesome," said Ingrid.
Ingrid's eyes flicked toward the door, and she saw that Damien stood there, leaning against the frame. Ingrid's jaw nearly dropped at how good he looked. He was dressed in a pair of slim slacks and a white button-up shirt undone at the collar. The clothes were perfectly tailored and made it very clear that there was a toned, hard body beneath his expensive clothing. His sleeves were rolled up, exposing his ropey forearms, and a pair of black dress boots polished to a mirror shine completed the look.
"I'm about to take off, girls," he said. "I left the card on the kitchen bar. Give me a call if you two need anything."
"Will do," said Ingrid, still trying to catch her breath from seeing Damien.
Damien stepped into the room, squatted down at Adeline's side, and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
"Bye, Adey," he said. "Don't forget, Daddy loves you."
"I won't," she said, turning up to her father with a smile on her face.
It was strange seeing this side of Damien. Ingrid had only known him for a little while, but he'd been nothing but stern and professional, or gripped by a raging temper. Seeing his softer side with his daughter was striking. It was clear he loved her deeply, and didn't play around when it came to her best interests. Ingrid knew that keeping Damien happy was going to depend on her being there for Adeline in the way he expected. She was still a little wary of his temper, but seeing him with his daughter made him seem a little more human, and less like a totally intimidating boss.
Once Damien left, the two of them played a little more, eventually taking a break for lunch. Ingrid tried to get the girl to open up a bit, but aside from when Ingrid brought up Adeline's favorite subject–cats- the girl was quiet and shy.
I gotta get her to open up just a little, thought Ingrid. I can't imagine lasting long here if this girl never warms up to me. But then again, we did just meet. Give it time, Ingrid, and quit worrying so much about impressing Damien.
Once their lunch was done, the two of them headed out into the beautiful DC late afternoon. The sun was shining, and the weather was just as mild as it had been in New York. Ingrid was happy to be out in the sun, and she slowly felt herself calm down from the whirlwind of the earlier part of the day. They rode the metro down to the riverfront, where the shopping district buzzed with activity.
This isn't a half-bad city so far, though Ingrid as she walked through the streets with Adeline at her side. It's big, sure, but not as insane as New York. And it's cool to be surrounded by so much history.
It seemed like everywhere Ingrid looked there was some historic building or monument. And depending on where they stood, the Washington Monument could be spotted in the distance.
I could get used to this, thought Ingrid.
"So, what do you want to do first, kiddo?" asked Ingrid. "Shop or check out some kittens?"
"Cats!" shouted Adeline, showing the first bit of enthusiasm Ingrid had seen from the girl since they stepped out.
"Cats it is," said Ingrid.
The two of them headed to the nearest pet store, where Adeline was beside herself right from the start. She went from kitten to kitten, asking the attendant to take the fluffy little animals out so she could cuddle and nuzzle it before moving on to the next. By the time she had been to each kitten, an hour and a half had passed.
"Have fun?" asked Ingrid as the two left the store.
"Yeah!" said Adeline. "My favorite was the black and white one, then the peach-colored one. But…maybe the white one…"
She went on like this until they reached the nearest department store. The two girls went inside and had fun trying on clothes. They picked out some items, with Ingrid feeling very strange about using Damien's card to simply buy whatever she wanted.
Then again, she thought, if he lives in a house like that, then he's probably not too hard up for cash.
Still, it made her feel strange to hand over the heavy black card to the clerk.
Once they were done, the two of them picked up some ice cream at the store and headed back home, where they ordered pizza and watched a movie. By the time the late evening rolled around, Adeline was wiped. At around nine, Ingrid took the girl to bed and tucked her in.
"Good night, Adeline," said Ingrid. "It was really nice spending the day with you today."
"You too," said Adeline, though Ingrid could tell the girl was still holding back.
Just give it time; just give it time, she kept telling herself. At least you got her home in one piece – that's gotta count for something.
With Damien gone and Adeline in bed, the house seemed empty and lonely. Ingrid decided to have a glass of wine, figuring Damien wouldn't mind. Heading to the kitchen, she popped open a bottle and poured herself a glass. Taking it out onto the back porch, she sat in one of the patio chairs and looked off into the still waters of the pool, trying to unwind from the day she just had.
This is fine so far, she thought. Adeline's a good kid – maybe a little shy, but good. And Damien…well, he seems like a hard-ass, but nothing I can't handle. I'll melt him with kindness; he can't say no to that.
Ingrid finished her glass of wine and headed inside to pour herself one more before heading to bed. But as she poured the glass, a strange crash sounded out from one of the upper floors; it sounded to Ingrid like glass breaking.
What the hell was that? she thought, her heart beating faster. Better check it out.
She took a quick sip of her wine and headed upstairs. Once on the second floor, she looked around for a sign of whatever the noise was, but found nothing.
Just when she was about to chalk the sound up to her hearing things, another sound rang out. This one was more like a thump, and it came from the third floor.
Shit, she thought. That's where Damien told me not to go. But I can't just ignore it.
Taking a deep breath, she ascended the stairs to the third floor. Once there, she saw a crack of light underneath Damien's bedroom door.
What? she thought. Did he come back without me knowing? There's no way; I would've seen him.
She approached the bedroom door and, steeling herself, gave it a quick knock.
"Um, Mr. Kennedy?" she asked. "Is that you?"
On the other side of the door, she heard a strange sound, like an animalistic grunting. Whatever it was, it didn't sound human.
"Mr. Kennedy?"
More grunting, and then something that sounded like a roar.
Placing her fingertips on the door, she pushed it open gently.
What she saw next, she couldn't believe.
It was Damien, all right. But he was wearing nothing other than his dress shirt and shoes. Behind him was a broken window that he apparently came in from. His posture was hunched over, like an animal preparing to pounce, and his chest expanded and fell with deep, ragged breaths. As soon as Ingrid entered the room, his head snapped toward Ingrid.
"Mr. Kennedy?"
His eyes were different – instead of a brilliant blue, they were golden, and almost glowing.
"Are you okay?"
But he said nothing. Instead, he rushed over to Ingrid with inhuman speed and stared her up and down. Ingrid stayed frozen in place; it seemed like he'd been possessed by some kind of demon.
"What's…what's going on?" Ingrid asked, fear creeping into her voice.
But before she could say another word, Damien did pounce. Instead of sinking his teeth into, however, he grabbed her hips, pulled her close, and kissed her hard.